Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Monsters lurk in mysterious places. While Temari and Kankaro are away taking care of other things, Gaara investigates with the help of Baki a rumor involving his father. What they find though is a maze filled with secrets, a monster experiment of Orichimaru as well as other things the man wished to keep secret.
1. Nobusuna

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto. This was started for Wattpad's Just Write It for October 2015 where the goal was to write a horror piece. This is an expansion of my one-shot Yamiji Ouketsu._

 **Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Nobusuna**_

The air choked with dust comprised of fine sand thickened by the threat of rain from the clouds above blocking the burning sun from scorching the skin. Gaara's dry tongue pushed up against the roof of his dry mouth as his green eyes stared soullessly down at the villagers passing back and forth down below. Nobody noticed the young Kazekage watching from the shadowed cove above, nor did they know he was listening and observing their conversations. Even after becoming the Kazekage he wanted to know more about the social interactions of other people.

Temari and Kankuro still didn't understand why he did this.

The clouds burst with a sudden downpour and Gaara felt his clothing and sand shield stick unpleasantly to his body. One hand reached up to tug at the clothing as a woman let out a yell and rushed out to the clothes line strung out in the court yard to struggle with getting the wash off the line. One piece of clothing shifted due to the added weight and fell with a sickening thud to the ground below. Gaara's eyes widened wondering if he should step in and help, but another woman hurried from her home to help the other scoop the wet load into baskets and then pull the baskets towards an overhang.

The young Kazekage could still see the two women as well as hear them from where he hid himself in the damp shadows. One of the women attempted to wipe away the rain water dripping from her forehead, and her tongue clicked as she spoke up. "Ruined. Absolutely ruined this day of washing."

The other woman looked up at the sky. "I wonder if our Kazekage is out in this."

Gaara's eyes blinked a couple of times, and he shifted his weight to a more comfortable position as his hand continued to tug at his wet clothing. The other woman turned to look at the other as her mouth pushed into a tight frown. "What ever for?"

"Haven't you noticed? He tends to always be wandering about regardless of the weather."

"His sand protects him from everything." The other woman pulled out a soaking wet piece of clothing and shook it making it so the water scattered across despite the rain still falling outside of the overhang the two women were under.

"Does it?" The second woman's comment caused Gaara to blink again as well as shift his position again.

" _It's true you know._ " The beast in the back of his head spoke up. " _Your sand can't protect you from everything._ "

The second woman pushed back a stray strand of hair. "I don't think his sand protects him from everything. He is human you know."

"Human?" The other woman shook her head. "I guess you could say he's more human then the previous Kazekage."

Gaara's dry mouth opened at the mentioning of the previous Kazekage. His shoulders tensed up as the young Kazekage tried to swallow.

The second person turned to her companion, and her voice gave way a distinct nervousness. "What are you trying to get at?"

"If the Kazekage hadn't died when he did he would have been tried and executed for treason. His children would have been executed with him as well."

A shiver ran down Gaara's spine as his arms wrapped around his thin body. The thought of leaving entered his mind, and his body tensed to do so. The second woman though said something which made him stop. "Don't speak like that! Our Kazekage and his siblings, they've honestly done a lot of good for Suna since that happened! Do you not like our Kazekage, or do you still think of him as a monster? That was you know the previous Kazekage's fault you know."

"I'm not saying anything against our current Kazekage. Goodness knows we wouldn't know we were wrong had the previous Kazekage lived. That man... he was the real monster. As I said though had the previous Kazekage not died all of them would be dead. We would never have known we were wrong."

Gaara's eyes snapped shut as a silence fell between the two women. " _Don't understand._ "

" _What don't you understand?_ " The beast at the back of his head spoke up.

" _How is it they can go from thinking the previous Kazekage was a saint to thinking of him as a monster. He really did have the best intention of the village in mind._ "

" _Real funny coming from the child he was more then willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the village and use as a weapon._ "

Gaara continued to tug at his clothing in an attempt to pull the stick clothing away from his body, and his dry tongue pushed against the roof of his mouth as the sand stuck to his skin in an irritating manner. The second woman spoke up. "It's still worrisome that the Kazekage is likely out in this weather. He's likely soaked to the bone."

The young Kazekage in question shrunk back into the cove as his sand sluggishly moved around himself carefully tightening back up. The rain slowed as the women continued to speak. The first shook her head. "I know you think the Kazekage's sand isn't a perfect shield, but it really is. Nothing can get through. Have you ever heard of anything getting through?"

"Something must have gotten through. How else do you explain the fact the previous Kazekage's plan didn't go well?"

A silence fell between the women as the rain stopped, but Gaara continued to tug at his clothing as his lips pushed together in irritation. A sharp sound came from one side of an alley way leading into the small court yard, and a few of the Suna shinobi hurried forward splashing through the puddles on their way towards the wall. Gaara leaned forward as the men spoke of a man being found at the entrance, a man who should have been dead, hence the reason Baki choose to increase security in the area.

The two men passed by and the young Kazekage jumped from his nook to land on the ground in a puddle making the two women jump. His soulless eyes picked up on the color draining from their faces and heard the tight tone of voice as they greeted hm. He paid no mind to the fact they knew he over heard what they said and simply headed to the hospital to find out what was going on. His clothing and sand still clung to his skin in a miserable fashion. Each step pushed a cascade of water past his toes.

Eventually though the clothing and sad dried out, but the sensation left ended up a rather sticky feeling which made Gaara want to pull his own skin off. His mouth twisted into a frown as he approached the hospital and walked past the staff who stared at him. His pale green eyes took in the looks the medical-nin gave, looks of utter horror. The looks didn't phase him, and he simply walked through the hall to the directors office.

The man's head shot up in the deadening silence, and the director's mouth opened telling the young Kazekage the room number. The young man with his thin frame turned on his heals and headed towards the room and noticed the gathered guard outside of the room and intelligibly guessed Baki was inside. The young Kazekage stared at the Suna elder until the man noticed he was there. "Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara said nothing and simply stepped over to towards the man, and then turned his eyes to look at the patient in the bed. Two red eyebrows shot up upon seeing the man's face, and an odd feeling fell over him indicating he recognized the man, but couldn't place where he knew the man or the fear of trepidation which resulted from seeing the man. He then turned his head to look at Baki. "Who is he?"

"Who is he?" Baki let out a sigh as he looked at the figure. Bandages covered a good portion of the figures body, and a few of the bloody injuries remained uncovered, but stitched up. "Do you recognize him Kazekage?"

"If I did would I be asking you?" Gaara spoke without snapping.

"You might ask if you weren't sure."

"Sorry."

"You need not apologize lord Kazekage." The man turned back to look at the man. "In some ways I'd rather not tell you who the person is as I'm not sure how you will take the information, but it would also be wrong not to tell you as you are my superior."

Garra's pale green eyes turned back to the man, and he felt the corners of his mouth press shut as he looked at the man lying in the bed. "Is it something I need to know and deal with."

Baki let out a sigh. "Probably."

"Do you not trust me?"

The Suna elder remained silent until Gaara turned to look him in the eye. "I must honestly admit I'm still getting used to the fact your mental state's stabilized. It's still much of a shock. That though, it's not the only concern I have regarding how you'll take the information." A silence fell between the two causing the young Kazekage to look away, but after a brief moment of silence Baki decided to speak up. "This man is one of the previous Kazekage's men."

"So?" Gaara turned his head to look at the man. "I think I would have noticed if he tried attacking me. I also don't blame those allied with the previous Kazekage for not taking to me."

"That's not it." Baki's words jarred the young Kazekage's head up. "When I say this man is one of the previous Kazekage's men I mean this is one of the men who died the same time your father did."

A shudder ran down the young Kazekage's spine, and his fingers reached up to pick at his sleeve. He felt the cloth pull away, and then snap back. "How?"

"I don't know. He lost consciousness before we could ask him."

Gaara's head turned to look at the man again as another shudder ran down his spine. His pale eyes took in the man's facial features and easily noted the fact the man's face remained in tact. The beast at the back of his head began to mock him, and it was Shukaku who first chimed the idea of another certain someone being alive and a tense sensation of fear washed over the young Kazekage.

"Kazekage?"

The young red head found himself brought back to reality, and his head darted up to look at the Suna elder. "Is it possible, is it possible he's actually alive?"

Gaara watched as Baki simply stared at him in wonderment. "Or this man could be an imposter. It could be a trap. Even if it isn't you need to remember what the previous Kazekage did."

"Is he really a monster like the villagers say? He did after all do what he felt was best for the village"

Baki's head shot up so he could look the young Kazekage in the eye. Something about the look on Baki's face sickened the young Kazekage, but his thought process couldn't figure out what bothered him. The man finally spoke in response to Gaara's words. "Are you sure you want the previous Kazekage to be alive? He may have had the best interests for the village in mind, but he certainly didn't have yours. One might even argue he didn't have your older siblings best interests in mind either."

A thick feeling settled into the young man's throat. "I don't think my feelings matter."

"What about your older siblings?"

"I don't appreciate their mistreatment, and suspect I'd come to heads with him on such a matter." Gaara couldn't shake the ill feeling in the pit of his stomach regarding the man the two were discussing. "My feelings, or my own well being for that matter, that doesn't matter."

The look on Baki's face told Gaara he didn't like the answer he got, but the young Kazekage found himself unable to understand why. "Still, he's likely an imposter."

"There is a way we could tell for sure when he wakes up." Gaara watched the man's head dart up. Something told him Baki not only read his mind, but also didn't like what the young Kazekage was thinking.

The man however didn't even try to argue with the youth beyond saying why.

"It's the right thing to do."


	2. Playing the Role

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Playing the Role**_

The man in question drifted in and out of a delirious fever state as a shadow watched him from nearby. The mind of the man tried forgetting the horrors he saw, but every so often a flash of memory came hurtling back at him in a cacophony. The scuttling sound came to his ears making him flinch at the sound thinking the _creature_ was nearby. His eyes opened up and the scuttling sound turned out to be the scrapping of a chair.

Some one nearby moved to his side and gazed down at him, and at first the man couldn't recognize the face. The red locks of hair appeared first making the man think of his Kazekage as the locks matched the color of the forth Kazekage. Then came the appearance of the familiar scar over the left temple as well as the soulless green eyes. A panic set in as the man's eyes darted around looking for a way to escape, and mentally the man tried to move his limbs only to find they refused to move. The one thing coming out of his lips were the words, "monster."

The next thought coursing through the man's mind was how much of a mistake calling the monster a monster was, and his breaths came in ragged breaths as the monster let his tendrils of sand move over his body. More words escaped his lips despite mentally knowing it was a mistake. "I'd rather suffer at the hands of that monster rather then you."

"Where is he?" The monster's voice rasped out, and the man's mouth clamped shut. "Where is he? The Kazekage?"

"And give him into your hands? I think not."

Out of the corner of his eye the man saw a hand reach out to touch the monsters shoulder, and a shudder ran down the man's side at the thought of touching the monster in such a manner. Anyone except for lady Temari found themselves ripped to shreds, and such a thing wasn't a delightful thought. The monster shook turned his head and the hand retreated, and then turned back towards the man. "Where is he?"

"Monster. I told you..." The man gasped for breath. "I told you I wouldn't."

"What's this other monster?"

The man felt his unhealthy body contort suddenly as mental flashes of the monster wracked his mind, and by the time his body settled he heard himself utter the words of where the Kazekage was without realizing it. "Sands of the Moonless Lake."

No protest came from his lips, nor any thoughts of having revealed such information to the monster as he faded into darkness.

…

"There's a way we could tell for sure when he wakes up."

A shiver ran down Baki's spine as he watched the young Kazekage look at him. One of the reasons the young Kazekage's father assigned him as a teacher came from Baki's knack at reading the young shinobi, and the knack hadn't left the man despite the young Kazekage's mental stability having returned. Thus the man knew the youth planned on setting himself up as bait, and Baki didn't like the thought one bit. Temari and Kankuro also weren't nearby to help him try and talk the youth out of his plan.

" _He's going to get hurt again._ " The man watched as Gaara set up a chair near the man and sat down in a seated position. No sign of the young man being a Kazekage was present, but instead Gaara dressed in his regular clothing brought for him to change into. The young figure sat as still possible watching and waiting for the man to wake up. Baki's teeth ground together as he watched the young Kazekage. " _I shouldn't be worry about him. He can very well take care of himself._ "

The fear though refused to abate, and Baki finally spoke up again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Gaara turned to look at the man, and the chair the young Kazekage sat in scrapped against the floor. The man in the bed stirred, and the chair scrapped even more, but this time the legs of the chair sounded like nails across the chalk board. The young Kazekage let his tendrils of sand reach out to the man as he stood up and leaned over the man. A heavy feeling settled into Baki's gut as the man called the young Kazekage a monster.

Baki wanted to step over as the man said something about the young red head being a worse monster then something else. The young Kazekage simply asked where the previous Kazekage was, and Baki moved over to the young man's side placing a hand on Gaara's shoulder in case the young Kazekage needed his help, but the young man shook his head saying he could handle the situation. Gaara continued to play the role of the monster he used to be.

The man remained amendment about not giving into the monster, and remaining loyal to the previous Kazekage, but when the young Kazekage mentioned the other monster the man's already weakened mental state finally lost it. The description of the thing remained vague, but finally the man named a place, the Sands of Moonless Lake. The young Kazekage pulled away as the man blacked out from the panic attack. The youth remained emotionless for a short period of time before turning to Baki. "Sands of Moonless Lake?"

"Sands of Moonless Lake, that's a place out on the far side of the Land of Wind. Nobody ever travels there because there are no countries to trade with on the other side of the land."

"So nothing is known about this place?"

Baki stared at the young Kazekage thinking carefully about what to say next, and finally the words came out of his mouth. "I doubt a story meant to keep children in their beds past bed time, or to get them to behave in other manners is of any use."

Gaara stared at the Suna elder for a few minutes before speaking up again. "What is this story?"

"It's about a monster which will take children away if one doesn't obey. The Nobusuma it used to be called."

"Then why was I never taken away by this monster?"

Baki stared at the young Kazekage in disbelief wondering where the sudden comment came from. "Because it doesn't exist." The man cleared his throat. "Well, the Nobusuma doesn't exist, but the Shukaku does. Shukaku though didn't come from the Sands of Moonless Lake."

The young Kazekage stared for a few minutes more. "I do not understand this concept of telling stories to frighten children. Shukaku and I took life regardless of whether someone is misbehaving or not. Monsters simply don't care." Baki's mouth opened to protest, but a counter to the young Kazekage's comment didn't come out right away. The man instead pushed his lips together knowing the young Kazekage was thinking things through. The boy's mouth opened again. "What do you think about what he said? About the other monster?"

"Delusional?"

Gaara's lips pushed together. "Are we then delusional?" Baki knew the young Kazekage referred to the fact the man was supposed to be dead, and yet they saw him right in front of them. He remained silent not wanting to say what they were both thinking. "Is the previous Kazekage really out there?"

"I don't know. The only way we can know is if someone is sent to investigate the area."

"We don't have any information about this monster, but if it kept the previous Kazekage and his guards in that one spot don't you think this isn't something we should send just anybody to investigate."

"I take it that you're suggesting sending yourself? You do understand that you are the Kazekage?"

"That's even more reason I should be the one to go and not any of the people of Suna."

Baki stared for a few more minutes before letting out a deep sigh. He watched the young Kazekage carefully and finally added in his own input. "I'm not going to be able to convince you not to go out there am I?"

"No, you're not."

"Then I simply ask that you take me with you along with a few others. Also leave a message for your older siblings before you head out letting them know where you're going, and what we're looking into." Baki watched the young Kazekage and at first he thought the young man would argue, but then Gaara let out an affirmative. "You do know some of the council won't be happy with this situation? Are you sure we shouldn't wait for the council to meet and make a decision."

"The council would rather have the previous Kazekage back then having myself."


	3. Moonless Lake

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Moonless Lake**_

A tap on the shoulder from his former sensei made the young Kazekage turn his head to look at the man, and then his eyes direction Baki pointed. Gaara's eyes remained unblinking as he looked at the container of water strapped to his side, but then reached down with a pale hand to take a drink of water. The man stopped along with the two men who were with him, and he explained how much farther they needed to go into the desert to reach the place the frightened man mentioned.

"So we just need to keep heading to the West until the sun sets, and I'll see exactly what this Sands of the Moonless Lake looks like?" Gaara took a couple more sips, glad that Baki, and his two siblings had the habit of looking out for him, for there were still things that he needed to work upon. Those who were allowed the closest to the young Kazekage simply weren't just people who could be trusted with the safety of the young Shinobi, but also those who wouldn't let their tongues wag.

Soon the group arrived at a place in the desert where the sand became white for as far as the eye could see as they were up on an elevated area, but through out the sand was located specks of black sand running through in circular patterns. Gaara folded his arms and looked around the place, and noted there were no walls around the area. A shiver ran down his spine as his mind wondered what had made the circles in the area, and he turned to look at Baki.

"I honestly don't know. Truth be told this is the first time I've ever been to this area. It's not really a place we come to due to the fact none of the trade routes run through this place. I'm not quite sure why the previous Kazekage happened to be in this area either." The man shifted his foot letting the sand crunch under his head.

Gaara turned to look around, but then felt a wave of nausea hit him despite the fact Baki had made sure he drank plenty of water. A slight throb pounded at the back of his head, and his arms moved out of the position of crossing his chest. His pale thin hands slowly rose up to his head, much in the same manner he did when he dealt with the beast in his head. Baki visably flinched at the sight. "Lord Kazekage?" When no response came, he pushed again. "Gaara?"

"My head hurts."

Baki took a deep breath. "We can retreat if need be. You don't need to push yourself."

"It's not... it's different." Gaara let his mouth twist up, and his eyes were wide. The madness definitely wasn't coming on, as the feelings of loneliness didn't exist anymore. "Something though..." The sudden feeling of his foot sinking into the sand made Gaara's entire body snap backwards, and his hands moved as if he were going to lose his balance. Looking down he saw the sand swirling around his ankle, pulling him in. His hand reached down to try to stop the sand, but the pain in his head suddenly worsened, and he felt himself pulled to the ground. "Baki!"

The hope that his former sensei would get out of their vanished as he felt Baki's hands reach under his arm pits attempting to pull him out, but Gaara saw from the corner of his eye how the sand expanded to swallow up more. The sand was at his waist, and at Baki's ankles as he tried to pull the young Kazekage out. The urge to pull at the sand came, and yet with the major pulling of the whirlpool spread. Gaara saw that the others became trapped, and watched as they began to be sucked down in the pit.

Underneath the young Kazekage felt his feet come out into emptiness, but still felt the sand pulling, as well as his inability to control the sand. The sand was now at his chest area, and at Baki's waist, and looking to see if any of the others escaped was a waste of time. Gaara's sea foam green eyes wandered to the black parts of sand, and his mouth opened wide upon realization hitting him. " _This isn't sand, or just any kind of sand. It's Iron Sand. This entire place has Iron Sand riddle through it._ "

Gaara felt his feet kicking out at the opening, and tried moving his own sand, but a sudden jolt through his head told him something was wrong, and whatever it was had some correlation to his powers and whether they would be able to use them. The sand crept up to his chin fast, and he felt his legs able to move, but nothing solid to stand in underneath. " _I'm going to be dropped, and I won't be able to see what's below me. I'm not even sure..._ " Gaara glanced up and noticed the rings reforming at the end. " _It's circling around, but..._ "

The young Kazekage's eyes snapped shut, and he felt Baki loose his grip on his thin frame. Gaara took a deep breath, and soon felt himself falling. " _Open your eyes, damn it. You need to be able to see your surroundings so that you can use your sand._ "

Two sea foam green eyes snapped open as the ground lit by torch light rushed up at him. Gaara moved one hand down to bring up a sand, only to find his sand didn't respond anywhere near as fast, and a sudden surge of pain shot through his head. He hit the ground hard, and let out a gasp of air. His pale, thin hands clenched the ground below him, and found that his fall was softened by the fact he landed on sand. A jolt of pain shot through his head, and his stomach lurched up the water Baki made him drink.

His muscles hurt, and he turned to look up at the ceiling only to find this move wasn't in time, as the older man landed on top of him. Gaara felt his arm twist underneath Baki's body, and was sure he felt something snap. He didn't stop to pay attention to this, and simply pulled himself away as soon as Baki pushed himself up into a sitting position. Gaara's arm went to touch the arm his companion landed on, and gritted his teeth against the pain, and nausea.

The young Kazekage also felt panic setting in for some strange reason, and his mind remained a painful fog, and he choked on his own panic. "Lord Kazekage?"

These words from Baki made the panic surge forward. " _Where? Where is he? Where's father?_ " His eyes darted up to look at Baki, and then looked around. " _I messed up, messed up, messed up. He's going to be furious at me. I don't know what he's going to do. Where is father..._ "

"Lord Kazekage..." The sound of worry appeared in Baki's tone of voice.

A strangled sound came out of Gaara's throat. "Father..."

"I'm not your father." The sound of worry became replaced with sound of confusion.

"You saw father." Gaara staggered up, and then teetered on his feet. " _I need to get out of here before father sees me. He told me he was going to give me one more chance, and I messed up. I know that it was best that I didn't hurt the people of Konaha, but he won't see it that way. I messed up, messed up, messed up. Temari and Kankuro aren't here to protect me. They're not here._ "

"Temari, Kankuro..."

"They're not here, Lord Kazekage..."

Gaara's eyes darted up to look Baki in the face. "Where is he? Where's father?"

"What are you..." Baki stopped short. "Lord Gaara, are you looking for the Lord Kazekage?"

"You..." The young shinobi looked up at the man, wondering why Baki was acting like he didn't see the Lord Kazekage despite the fact the man had called out for his father. " _Is sensei in league with father? Is he supposed to be the one to punish me? So I can't trust him._ " Gaara took a step back from the fear eating away at him. " _I don't want to kill him either._ "

" _Why not? Aren't you afraid he's going to kill you?_ "

" _Baki sensei is precious. I don't want to kill something precious to me again. Why do precious things always betray me?_ "

" _Then your only option right now is to flee, and to get as far away from Lord Baki as possible._ "

Gaara swallowed, and turned on his heal, despite the fact his rational frame of mind would have reasoned him to stay. The panic wrenched his gut.


	4. Mirroring of Fears

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Mirroring of Fears**_

Accepting the change in Gaara wasn't something which happened over night, but Baki found himself taking care of the three siblings, and thus was one of the first people outside of Kankuro and Temari to notice the changes in the young sand Shinobi. On top of noticing the fact Gaara's personality calmed down, he also found that the child had various quirks, some of which mimicked the fourth Kazekage's own as a child. The fact Gaara neither understood social customs, or knew how to take care of himself became obvious quickly.

Thus if one let him be, he'd forget to drink or eat enough, just in the same manner Gaara almost never got enough sleep. Even know one could describe the young Kazekage as having a very childlike personality, and thus Baki developed a soft spot for the boy. The sight of Gaara reaching up to clutch his head made his instincts lurch, but not with the same fear as before. Despite the need for a Shinobi to feel no emotions there was pity, particularly if Baki had to kill or abandon Gaara on the spot, as this was something he didn't wish to do.

"It's not... it's different."

" _Not good._ " Baki felt a twist in his throat when he would normally feel relief from Shukaku not protruding into the boy's mind. The man watched as Gaara's body suddenly lurched, and his foot sunk into the sand. Gaara's hand's moved to try and stop the sand, only for the whirlpool to worsen. Baki moved forward and hooked his arms under the boy's arms in an attempt to pull him out, and the man felt the strange feeling he felt only when it came to the three siblings. " _You know he doesn't want you to rescue him, but that's not actually an option. You would never forgive you._ "

Instead of helping he felt himself pulled down into the sand, and soon the others were being pulled down. Eventually Gaara was pulled from his grip, and he himself soon felt himself pulled down to the ground and falling. Baki closed his eyes to prevent the sand from going in, and opened his eyes to see himself rushing to the ground, and noticed that Gaara was right underneath him. The man's eyes widened when he realized Gaara's sand wasn't forming a barrier between him, and the young Kazekage. The unexpected factor made Baki not react, and instead of feeling sand underneath him, he felt the soft body of the youth underneath him.

Worse yet Baki was sure he heard the sound of a bone snapping, or a muscle tearing meaning that landing on the boy caused some kind of damage. He pushed himself away, and took note of the situation. Gaara's arm seemed to be in a precarious position, and the boy favored one side. The Suna council elder noticed the vomit near the boy, and knew what small amount water the young Shinobi consumed earlier was now of no use. Gaara's sea foam eyes were wide, as if the boy were in pain. Most noticeable was the fact the young teen was unable to use his powers.

" _It must have something to do with what sucked us down here._ " Baki noticed Gaara's mind was elsewhere, and called out to him. "Lord Kazekage?" The man's throat tightened as he watched Gaara's hand reach up to grip the place over his heart. " _That's his sign that he's having a panic attack. He's not had one of those since, well, when we first decided to call them panic attacks rather then psychotic episodes._ " The man called out to the boy again. "Lord Kazekage..."

"Father..." Something felt off about Gaara's voice.

"I'm not your father."

"You saw father."

Baki felt his entire body tense up. " _So, the issue here isn't that he thinks I'm his father. He thought I was calling out to Lord Rasa rather then himself, which means..._ " A sinking feeling hit the pit of the older man's stomach. " _... that means he doesn't remember he's now the Kazekage. That isn't good, and it sounds like... it's fear I hear. I'd forgotten that there was a time when he feared that man. No, this is exactly what I feared when I came out here, that this feeling of fear would return. But..._ "

"Temari, Kankuro..."

" _It's almost as if he's mentally regressed to the point right after the Chunnin exams. It must have something to do with these headaches, and his loss of his abilities must have something to do that as well. If he were to regress even more, he'd be back in that psychopathic state. But then, at least his powers wouldn't be an issue. Still, I can't let him return, not after all the work he's put in._ " The conversation went well, until he brought up Rasa again, and it seemed almost as if Gaara now feared him for some reason.

It was then that Gaara attempted to run despite the fact all Shinobi training should have told him to stand his ground in front of an enemy. " _That means he doesn't see me as an enemy, so much as something that scares him._ " Baki moved forward, knowing he needed to react. His hand reached out, and grabbed the boy's wrist on the injured arm, hoping to stop him. He watched as Gaara contorted despite the injury, and slipped out of his grip. " _That damn fool is going to get himself hurt even more._ "

With a swift movement he tackled the boy to the ground, and pinned Gaara down to the ground. He straddled the boy so he sat lightly on the boy's waist area, and held the boy's arms down. The child still continued to struggle, and thus Baki snapped out instructions. "Gaara! Calm down! You need to stop using your ability. Take a deep breaths, like we went over if you ever got like this. You do at least remember that much, right?"

Gaara took deep breaths, and his eyes darted up to meet Baki's, but darted away. Despite the deep breaths the teen still struggled to gain his composure. "Lord Rasa's dead. I'm your legal guardian, remember?"

"You saw the Kazekage."

The words choked out confirmed what the man was afraid of. "Gaara, the Kazekage I saw was you. You're the fifth Kazekage."

"No. He's alive. You're lying on purpose. I see it on your face." Gaara's Adam's apple bobbed down, and he still found himself unable to. "I messed up. I messed up again. I'm always punished. I don't want to see him."

" _He's referring to the fact we're on the mission_ Baki's hands let go of Gaara's hands, and then touched the boy's face. The teens eyes finally came to look him in the eye. "Listen to me carefully Gaara. If Lord Rasa is alive, I will not let him harm you. I will lay down my life for this promise. Do you understand?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed, and his breathing became even. "I don't want you to die, sensei."

"Then I promise I won't let him kill me either." Baki moved away from the boy, and let Gaara sit up. He leaned back wondering exactly where they were, when the sound of someone moving made him look up to see the two other Shinobi that they brought with him.

"Lord Baki, Lord Kazekage..."

The Suna council elder watched as the panic returned to Gaara's eyes, and the boy attempted to bolt away from his companions again. Baki moved with a swift movement, and grabbed the boy. "Lord Gaara! Stop this instant, and clam down! He's not here!" Leaning over he whispered into Gaara's ear. "He's dead, and you're the fifth. If he's not, I made a promise to you."

The teen relaxed in his arms, and Baki lowered the young Kazekage to the wall. He carefully removed his own container of water from his hip, and held it out to Gaara. He watched the boy grab the contents, and make the movement to guzzle the water down. A quick hand movement stopped Gaara in his tracks, reminding him how easy Gaara became to teach after the Chuunin exams. "Slow down, or you'll make yourself sick."

Gaara closed his eyes, and pushed the flask back at Baki. "Can't. Stomach."

Baki closed the bottle, and a frown spread across his face. "We'll try again later."

"Lord Baki, what is wrong with the Lord..."

"Stop." The command was sharp. "Gaara, I want you to wait here. I need to talk to the others about something." The man stood up, and walked over to the two men. His voice lowered to a whisper. "I honestly don't know what is going on, but the Lord Kazekage is not able to use his powers. It's likely tied to these headaches he is having. On top of this his memory is shaky, and he doesn't remember being made Kazekage."

The two other Shinobi looked at each other, and Baki continued. "To be exact, I believe Lord Gaara's memories are being messed with by something. His last memory seems to be after the Chunin exam where we teamed up with Otoga."

"Does this mean we need to find what is effecting the Lord Kazekage, or find an escape route."

Baki looked at the ground. "I'd say escape is the best option, but as I told the two of you in the report, there is report of a monster in this area. The best option at this point is to scout out the area. I need you two to each go in a different direction while I stay with the Lord Kazekage to make sure his condition doesn't get worse."


	5. Forgotten Memories

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Forgotten Memories**_

"Lord Kazekage, you really should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Lord Rasa..."

"I said I'm not hungry." The person in question lay on the ground with his arms over his eyes, and he tried remembering whatever he forgot this time. A flicker of a visual memory made his thought process stop as he remembered a particular red haired child. " _His smile. It's just like hers._ " The man let out a sigh, and sat up and looked at the Shinobi who spoke to him. "How do you decide a child's worth?"

"This question again?"

Rasa closed his eyes as the frustration from the other man became all to obvious. The fourth Kazekage pulled one leg up so he could lean on said leg. "Yes, that question again."

"Lord Kazekage, do you at least remember that you shouldn't use your magnet release in this place." The other person was quick to change the subject, as if there were a reason to avoid the subject.

The man looked up, and opened his eyes. "The use of my magnet release powers has the effect of causing nausea, and painful headaches, but it also makes me loose my memories. Did I use my powers again?"

"Yes." The other man gave Rasa a look of worry. "That's why you should eat something, even though you're likely feeling some form of nausea. It will help you recover from the fatigue faster."

"The question..." Rasa looked at the ground. "The question I asked is important."

"The answer I gave you the last time you did not like."

"Just spit it out."

"In our society they only type of child that is useful as a Shinobi is one which can be used as a pawn."

The forth Kazekage felt his hands clench, and he bit down on his lip. " _This doesn't sound the right answer. What was the answer Sarutobi gave me? He always talked about the way of fire, and remained cryptic, the old geezer. Not that I was very upfront with him with why I was asking the question. I was a fool really not to be more specific._ " Rasa refused to look the man in the eye. "What happens to a child whose not able to be used as a pawn, or even be a Shinobi."

"They die. In our society they die."

Rasa let his eyes snapped shut. " _That is not the answer I want. Gaara is worthless to me dead, and the death of that child is actually of detrimental value. I know this, but I can't justify my reasoning. I've not figured out some physical worth that gives_ _weight to what I know is true._ " A calloused hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. His throat felt dry, and he couldn't make out the reason why he felt so frustrated.

One of the other Shinobi came over. "Lord Rasa?" When his head darted up to look at the man, the forth Kazekage saw the worry in his face, and his tense facial muscles relaxed slightly. "You know as well as I that children in our society die because they're weak. Sometimes it is because the child dies in battle, but other times it's because said child doesn't have enough food, or isn't protected from the elements like they should be. Some children simply can't thrive, let alone survive."

A deep breath escaped Rasa's mouth. "If that's the case, why not place them into a situation where they could thrive." The man's eyes sparked with a bit of animosity for some strange reason, but then softened almost in the same manner a guardian's would for a child under their care, which in turn irritated Rasa slightly. " _Not that they can't help it. I've lost a good deal of my memories due to this accursed place whenever I use my powers, and some I've lost multiple times. They've got to step lightly around me, and not say the wrong thing._ "

"You know full well that wasn't an option with your youngest child, as there are circumstances which prevent you from simply giving him away to a loving family." A look of sadness washed over the man's face. "I wonder if things would be different if that had been possible."

"Politics..." Rasa hated them. "I'm going for a walk." The man stood up, but then realized one of the men was missing. "Wait, where is..."

"Despite his injuries, we think he managed to get to the other side, and was able to go get help. You helped in that matter, which is why your memories are shaky like they are again."

"Did he have enough supplies?" Rasa rubbed the back of his neck. "Never mind. What grows down here is nasty. I'm going to go for that walk."

"But Lord Rasa..."

"Don't worry. I'll stick to the inner circle. It's only the outer circle that we need to worry about." The man started walking out of the room into the maze, and a man hurried after him.

"Still, Lord Rasa, when your memory goes you don't always remember the paths we've mapped out, so one of us needs to go with you at all times."

Rasa instead ignored the man, and tried focusing on the fact he wished he could grip onto the memories, but something else told him that he didn't wish to remember. He placed his hands behind his head in annoyance, wondering if his men would actually keep him around if it weren't for the fact his powers were useful against the creature that roamed the outer circle as they'd come to call the area. He stopped short as he and the person in question rounded the corner, and caught sight of another Shinobi of Suna.

" _Except he's not one of my men..._ "

The man next to him reacted quickly, and kunai were thrown at the man pinning him to the wall. Rasa blinked a couple of times, noting that the man had a look of fear across his entire face upon seeing him. Rasa stepped forward, his arms moving to cross his chest. "You look like you've seen a ghost." These words made the corner of the man's mouth twitch. "How did you get here?"

"Lord Gaara, we came with him."

Rasa's eyes widened, and a sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach. "Gaara? My son is six years old, and he's here?" The man's teeth ground together, and he grabbed the man slightly so his clothing tore away from the kunai which pinned him to the wall. "Where is Yashamaru? When I get my hands on him, I'm going to kill him for being irresponsible enough to bring a child here. Seriously..."

"Lord Rasa... you already killed Yashamaru." The man's words made the forth Kazekage stop speaking, and the sinking feeling worsened. "He's been dead for eight, nine years now."

" _Eight or nine..._ _we've been gone that long?_ " Rasa's eyes darted in the direction that the man came from, which was towards the outer circle.

The man swallowed as Rasa minds whirled. "Lord Rasa, is it possible you're being effect by the same thing Lord Gaara is being effected by?"

"How is that even possible?" The Shinobi who traveled with Rasa spoke up. "None of the Lord Kazekage's children inherited his kekkei genkai. So..."

Rasa swallowed. "We learned of the kekkei genkai through studying Shukaku. Thus it stands to reason..." His eyes continued to look in the direction the man came from. " _Gaara has my kekkei genkai, and it's being used twenty-four seven._ " The man's head darted back to the Shinobi who followed him. "I need you to go back and prepare that concoction we discovered that prevented me from using my kekkei genkai."

The forth Kazekage started towards the outer circle. "Lord Rasa, the outer circle is in that direction."

"So's Gaara. I'm going after him, and I'm going to need some of that medicine for him. Take this fool with you." Rasa turned on his heals quickly, and ignored the appeals of the Shinobi pinned to the wall to wait. His steps quickened as he headed in the direction the man came from, not knowing what to expect. He turned a few corners, and caught sight of two figures in the torch lit hall ways.

The one standing up he recognized as Baki. The man stood against the wall, and had his eyes on the other person, a young red haired Shinobi. Rasa's eyes widened upon seeing the youth, and relief washed over him when he realized the boy was safe. "Gaara?"

Baki and Gaara's heads shot up at the sound of Rasa's voice, and the man quickly noticed the fear appearing in the eyes of the two. Baki's jaw dropped, and it looked like the man was breaking out in a cold sweat. The look of fear in Gaara's eyes sent a shudder down Rasa's spine. " _Why? Why is he afraid of me, his own father."_ The memory attached to the thought came back then. " _Because you tried to kill him, because things got out of hand. His worth..._ "

Gaara's reaction was quicker then Baki's, and the boy stood up, and used a movement to get away. Baki's head turned as Gaara took off. "Lord Gaara, stop!"

Rasa stepped forward to go after Gaara, but to his surprise Baki stepped into his path, and took the stance indicating he planned on using his wind blade. "What are you doing Baki?"

"Apologies Lord Kazekage, but my loyalties to you are trumped by the promise I made to Lord Gaara to protect him from you with my life."

" _So I did do things in the past that made Gaara fear me. But still..._ " Rasa narrowed his eyes. "There isn't time for this Baki. Either you choose to deal with the danger in front of you, or you deal with the danger that Gaara's running to right now." The man stepped forward as Baki's stance wavered, and Rasa moved to deliver a blow to the man's chest knocking the air out of him. "Personally I'm far more concerned with Gaara tangling with that thing."


	6. My Demons

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **My Demons**_

One thing Gaara didn't expect was Baki grabbing the wrist of his injured arm, or tackling fact the man tackled him to the ground and began to restrain him. The man shouted out orders telling Gaara how to calm down, as well as avoid using his powers. Then came the words gaara hadn't expected. "Lord Rasa's dead. I'm your legal guardian, remember?"

A flicker of a memory crossed his mind, when he remembered Baki telling the three siblings that he would be taking over for their welfare. Kankuro had shown major disgust to such a notion, and Temari had glanced back at him with a worried look on his face. The man at that point in time had not known of Gaara's change in personality, and was surprised at what Gaara said. " _I trust you, so I think that's fine."_ The young Shinobi felt his throat tighten up. " _Except, do I still trust him?_ " His mouth opened. "You saw the Kazekage."

Baki then reminded him who the Kazekage was now, but the memory of coming after Rasa somehow surged forward, so the man must be lying. Gaara didn't realize his thoughts came out verbally, but Baki noticed. "Listen to me carefully Gaara. If Lord Rasa is alive, I will not let him harm you. I will lay down my life for this promise. Do you understand?"

" _Father would kill him. Father is stronger._ " The boy narrowed his eyes at Baki. " _I don't want that. I don't want that to happen to the person who was more like a father to me then my own father._ " The child still somehow managed to calm at this thought, knowing Baki was a precious person to him, and thus purpose was still there. "I don't want you to die, sensei."

Despite the calm, a storm came again and Baki found himself calming him down again as Gaara tried figuring out where Rasa was, as that was the only person who could be called Kazekage. The man whispered gently into his ear, reassuring him that things would be all right, but the sinking feeling that things would not remained. Gaara tried to drink, but his body simply didn't wish to do what he wanted to as the headache continued to pound at his skull.

A shiver ran down his spine as Baki left to speak with the two men, but soon the Suna elder came back, and gave the boy his space, only speaking when he noticed Gaara tensing up, saying Gaara's name a few times in the process. Neither one expected someone else to say the name of the fifth Kazkeage, and Gaara turned his head to see the person he least wanted to see there. The fact Baki was just as surprised did not help the situation, and then instinct kicked in.

Gaara found himself fleeing.

He headed down the tunnel, in the same direction that the other Shinobi headed in, and came to a set of tunnels. These tunnels were spaced ten feet apart, and were only a couple feet wide. To get into the tunnel one needed to step up into the circular area, and under normal circumstances Gaara wouldn't be headed in the other direction. The sound of someone screaming on the other end made the boy hurry into the tunnel in a crouched position, forgetting Rasa was behind him. The surface of the tunnel was rough, and gravely.

" _That was the Shinobi who came this way._ " Gaara hurried along in a crouched position as fast as he could, and found the tunnel to be a hundred feet in length, and very dark compared to the tunnels he was just in. He came out of the end, and caught sight of a rather large underground tunnel which looked to be around a hundred feet wide. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the man who screamed trembling as he looked up at the monster in front of him.

The young Shinobi honestly couldn't blame the man for screaming, as the creature in front of him likely looked like the beast sealed with in him – frighting due to size, markings and ferocity.

In front of him stood a huge rat that couldn't fit into the small tunnels. The creatures eyes were white indicating the creature was blind, and the fur was matted in clumps, and some of the body looked to be scales instead of fur. Gaara couldn't decide whether this was actually scales, or badly infected areas of dry patches of skin. At the end of the tail was mutated to look like a weapon of some sort, and the claws were long. Slobber came from it's mouth indicating the creature was mad, but why remained a question.

"Get back into the tunnel." Gaara held up his hand, knowing what he needed to do.

"Ka... Lord Gaara, you can't use your powers."

"It's my job, is it not? It's also an order." One of Gaara's hands went to his forehead as his head pulsed, but the man did not comply. Gaara moved his sand at this point, and forced the man back into the tunnel. "Get Baki."

The creatures attention was now on him as he heard the man retreat. Gaara used his hand to motion his sand to follow, but the sand moved slower then normal, and suddenly the rat lunged forward, sending him flying backwards into the wall. The air rushed out of his lungs as he staggered to stay on his feet, and his hand instinctively rose up to try and attack the beast again. His mind felt numb, but he could still feel the need to protect that person he'd come for, though he struggled to understand why beyond the fact this was a purpose.

The sand raised up, and the rat used it's tail to twist and turn, bashing it down. Gaara felt a heavy sweat fall over his entire body, and his teeth ground together. One of the attacks got through, and he found himself tilting to the side as his abilities faltered. He also felt a wetness at the spot where the attack landed, as well as a pain.

This was when the gold colored dust came rushing forward, and Gaara's eyes widened as a mental shock set in. He thought for a second that a strangled cry had left his lips as he pressed his small body up against the wall. The creature however shrieked, and someone grabbed him from the side, and began to pull him back towards the tunnel. Gaara could feel the persons hot breath on his neck, and soon everything was in darkness as the person dragged him back into the tunnel. His thin body relaxed against the other person, and his eyes snapped shut against the pain.

The person finished pulling him out of the tunnel and, his eyes snapped shut as the man dragged him backwards. Two sea foam green eyes looked up into two brown ones, and saw the familiar auburn hair. Gaara bulked then, and pulled away, lifting his hand to use his sand to knock the person backwards into the wall behind. The young Shinobi darted away, and down the closest tunnel. His breath came in a raggid manner, and when he finally came to the midway point he sunk down against the wall, letting the soft skin of his hands brush up against the wall.

He was thirsty, hurting, and afraid.

Gaara felt the wave of nausea, and threw up next to himself as thoughts poured through his head. " _Either way is bad_." The young Shinobi could hear his breath coming in a harsh manner, and then heard the footsteps as someone moved in a crouched position. The person dragged him backwards, and Gaara's first instinct was to twist around in an attempt to dislodge himself from the persons grip. When that didn't work his fingers tried grasping the tunnel for something to hold onto, but instead the thin digits became scratched up.

On hand reached up to his clothing, and touched the hidden pocket someone came up with in case for some reason he found himself unable to use his sands as a defense. The fingers slid into the small, hidden pocket holding the kunai, and with a swift movement he twisted slightly from where the person held onto him around the waist, and attempted to plunge the blade in. The only confirmation was a temporary loosening, as well as someone yelling out his name. The yelling of his name confirmed that the person who had him was the _clone_ of himself.

This time Gaara attempted to kick out at the man in question, and managed to knock one of the man's legs out from underneath him, but this in turn made the person fall on top of him, and let out an audible curse. Gaara found himself pinned to the ground from behind, and the person moved to a sitting position from behind.

"Gaara, knock it off!" The person then went back to pulling him out of the tunnel, and Gaara found himself unable to do anything.


	7. My Child

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **My Child**_

"Personally I'm far more concerned with Gaara tangling with that thing." Rasa watched the look on Baki's face as the air was knocked out, and knew full well that Baki could still easily bring his wind blade to bear upon the forth Kazekage. The flicker of horror on the other Shinobi's face told him that the reason the man balked had to do with what Rasa just said. The forth Kazekage swiftly backed off slightly, and used the time Baki hesitated to place the other into a restraining jutsu.

When this was done, he found himself hurrying towards the direction he knew Gaara was in. When he arrived at the tunnels he found himself stopping short upon seeing a Shinobi coming out. Rasa quickly grabbed the front of the man's uniform. "Gaara. Why did you leave Gaara behind?"

"Lord Kazekage..." The man swallowed, and a flicker of fear flashed across his eyes. "Lord Gaara gave me the order to get Lord Baki. He's our only chance, as Lord Gaara can't, shouldn't use his abilities."

Rasa continued to glower at the man, but released the front letting him crumple to the ground. He moved quickly through the tunnel fully knowing what lay on the other side. Upon getting to the other side he saw the whirling sandstorm lashing out at the beast, and knew that Gaara was using his powers despite the fact doing so would prove detrimental. " _That foolish child! He's always acted like a fool_!"

The thought however stung, labeling Gaara in such a manner. Rasa's finger thumbed the top of his container holding his Gold Dust, and with a dept movement he brought the Gold Dust to bear upon the beast. The man was sure he heard a strangled cry left Gaara's mouth as the attack only his father used appeared in front of him, but Rasa ignored him. He pushed forward with is strong leg, and moved forward to grab Gaara around the waist. With another movement he moved back to the tunnel, and headed inside, pulling his sand back so that the effects were minimal.

Gaara at first didn't struggle against Rasa's attempt to pull him back through, but when his father arrived in the lighted area the boy looked up at him. The forth Kazekage clearly saw the fear in the boy's eyes, and he quickly realized his grip on Gaara wasn't as strong as it should have been, allowing the boy to move his arm to bring his sand against his own father before bolting down the tunnel. Rasa's hand moved to his Gold Sand, expecting to use the tool, but the sand quickly fell away.

The man moved into the tunnel Gaara headed down, and could hear the echoing of the boy's pants. The smell of vomit made Rasa's nose, and the man knew the effects of using the magnet abilities were getting worse. With a swift movement he wrapped his arm around the boy's waist, firmer then it was before. This time around Gaara struggled against Rasa's grip, and somehow the boy even managed to knock one of Rasa's legs out from underneath him. The man crashed down onto his son's small body, and felt like cursing the young Shinobi out.

Somehow Rasa managed to bite back his tongue as he told the boy to knock it off, and he pulled Gaara from the tunnel. He heard the voice of Baki call out at that point. "Lord Rasa!"

He sensed Baki moving forward just as Gaara began to struggle some more, and felt the man also reach out to help pull the young Shinobi out of the tunnel. Rasa looked at the man out of the corner of his eye. "How did you get out of the sealing jutsu I put you under?"

"The Shinobi that was sent back under Lord Gaara's orders released the jutsu."

The two men pulled the young Shinobi out of the tunnel, and Rasa could see Gaara's entire body trembling. The young teen no longer fought against the man's grip, and Rasa could see saliva dripping from Gaara's mouth. Rasa lifted the boy up in an attempt to take him back to the place where the medicine was, but this action made Gaara begin to struggle again. Somehow Rasa managed to make eye contact with the boy.

Gaara instantly froze, his body going limp in Rasa's arms, and the look of fear appeared in the teens eyes. The trembling didn't stop, and a smell other then vomit hit the forth Kazekage's nose. Rasa felt his facial features twitch, and again he found himself thinking of Gaara as, " _that foolish child."_

Baki cleared his voice. "Lord Rasa, please let me take Lord Gaara."

Rasa's grip tightened, but the sight of the Shinobi that Gaara ordered to get Baki made him think twice of being stubborn. He allowed the other Shinobi to take the boy from him, and then he reached up to pull the kunai from his arm before handing the item to the other Shinobi which came with Baki. "Let me make my orders clear. The two of you will come back with me to our base of operations with Gaara."

The man watched as the Shinobi moved to hold the Kunai in a definite position. "Apologies Lord Rasa, but my duty is to protect Lord Gaara, even if it is from yourself."

"You don't have much choice in the matter, if you really wish to do what's best for Gaara. There isn't time to explain." Rasa looked Baki in the eye, and wondered if he would have a stare down contest with the other man.

Instead Baki responded by saying, "I will trust your judgment, but if at any point I've reason to doubt you, I will not hesitate to move."

"I fully understand that Baki." Rasa brushed past the two men, and motioned for them to follow after her. He folded his arms together, wondering why Baki and the other Shinobi were being so stubborn, but his mind wandered back to the look of fear in his own son's eyes. " _I did something, but I can't remember what._ "

The two men followed behind him, and they arrived at the room his group had chosen as a base of operations. The look on his the faces of his men read a mix of emotions, of betrayal, fear, and some kind of hatred. The look of betrayal was levied at himself, but the fear and hatred were directed behind him, almost as if they were aimed at Gaara. The Shinobi that one of his men brought in however hung back, and on his face was a look of disgust that seemed aimed at Rasa and his entire group.

"Ichigawa..." Rasa looked over to the man he'd sent back. "Do you have it prepared?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

The forth Kazekage motioned over to his own bedding. "Baki, could you put Gaara down here."

"Lord Rasa, I need to know what you plan on doing."

The tension cut the air, and Rasa could hear a few of his men muttering, likely talking of treason. The auburn haired man knew time was important, and simply knelt down next to the bedding. Words to explain what he planned on doing didn't come in a simple manner, and he closed his eyes. "I believe you're aware that this place is effecting Gaara. You should also be aware that this has something to do with his abilities, and that his abilities are always on. This concoction I had Ichigawa prepare is something that will shut off his powers hopefully. We have no other choice."

Baki eyes said he still didn't trust Rasa, but he set the boy down onto the bedding. The forth Kazekage looked down at Gaara, and watched as the boy's eyes darted over to look at him. The teen attempted again to move away, but Rasa quickly placed his hands onto the boy's shoulders. He turned his head to Ichigawa. "Give Baki the concoction."

Rasa watched as the man flinched, but then Baki took the medicine. "Lord Rasa, would you allow me to handle this." The look in Baki's eyes said, " _you know why."_

The looks Rasa's men gave Baki indicated they didn't like how candid Baki was with the forth Kazekage, and yet the auburn haired man knew he had little choice. Rasa moved away to a spot where Gaara couldn't see him. One of the men moved over, and whispered to him. "Are you sure Lord Kazekage? I'm not quite pleased with the fact Baki is trying to usurp your authority."

"He's not trying to usurp my authority, and the fact he's doing what he's doing actually means I'm able to trust him." Rasa noticed the look of confusion at the same time he noticed how Baki spoke in a soft manner to calm down Gaara. "He made a promise to my son that he would protect him, even if it meant protecting him from me."

"But Lord Rasa..." The man swallowed. The man wanted to say something, but held back.

"Baki knows things we don't know. He also feels there is a reason to protect Gaara from myself, and the fact I can't remember that reason, well, it's likely for the best."

"Yes, but he's coddling Lord Gaara. You stopped coddling the young lord a long time ago."

Rasa felt his body tense up, and for a few seconds hesitation flickered. He stepped closer to Baki, and heard the way the man spoke in a soft manner. Gaara's eyes were glued onto the man, so Rasa felt safe getting closer. Gaara's mouth opened then, and Rasa felt his eyebrows shoot up at the word which came out of the boy's mouth. "Poison..."

Baki's eyes closed. "I can see why you would think that it is a poison, in which case there is only one solution."

The forth Kazekage flinched as Baki brought the cup to his lips, and took a sip of the concoction, before giving the rest to Gaara. " _Of all..._ "

"Lord Kazekage..."

Rasa found himself drawn away from the boy, and to his men. "Are you sure that Baki coddling Lord Gaara like this is a good idea?"

The man's minds twisted around an explanation which would satisfy the men. "We don't know how far Gaara's memories have regressed. What is important is the fact the boy trusts Baki to not harm him."

For some reason the explanation didn't feel as if it satisfy the man. To his surprise, the man responded back. "Apologies Lord Kazekage. I must remember that there are things you don't remember, so I'll leave this be."


	8. Legalities of Guardianship

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Legalities of Guardianship**_

Fear was never something Baki ever expected on feeling.

Yes, the man would find himself facing the fear of losing his life should he ever make the wrong step. He felt this type of fear all the time, as well as the fear of doing something wrong which would lead to his men loosing their lives. This type of fear though was different, and he found himself not liking the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach at all. This fear, it was the fear that something would happen to Gaara, that something would happen to someone he held precious.

Ingrained into the minds of the Shinobi of Suna was to forget about such things as holding something precious, but in dealing with Gaara he quickly learned the one thing which kept the boy sane was the concept of holding loved ones dear, and Baki found himself adapting, even changing as the boy grew. Seeing Rasa again, and the swift movement Rasa took to stall him made Baki for a moment wonder if he was week, but then Rasa's words told him the issue lay in another place.

"Personally I'm far more concerned with Gaara tangling with that thing."

" _That monster the man mentioned is real,_ " was the first thought which came to Baki's mind, but the second was, " _the Lord Kazekage actually cares about his son, and is willing to take me out just to protect what is precious to himself._ " Baki found himself inwardly cursing as Rasa placed a restraint on him. " _No, the issue lies in the fact I underestimated Rasa. Gaara's always talking about how there is strength in the aspect of love for another person. I doubt the Lord Kazekage understands this though._ "

Soon the Shinobi which headed in the direction Gaara was came hurtling over, and looked at Baki in shock before quickly releasing the jutsu. "Lord Baki, I headed down one of the tunnels and ran into that thing. Lord Gaara went after it, and he's using his powers. Rasa's also there, so you're the only one who can handle the situation now."

Baki stood up. " _I know that. I'm not sure I should at this point fear what Rasa will do with Gaara, but the end results of that child's fears._ " He hurried forward, and heard Rasa call out to Gaara from one of the tunnels, telling him to knock it off. The Sand ninja felt a tightening of his throat. " _Well, I guess I also need to worry about Rasa's poor parenting skills._ "

He moved forward, and helped grab onto Gaara, so that the two got the boy out of the tunnel. Baki quickly picked up the fact Gaara didn't look well, with the saliva coming from his mouth, and the bloody side injury. " _Don't forget you likely broke his arm when you landed on him._ " Rasa of course kept attempting to act like a father, though Baki was sure that the man would deny any form of affection for the child. " _Affection though Rasa, is the way you get through to Gaara._ "

One chance of eye contact between Rasa and the boy of course made things worse, and Baki felt like vomiting. " _It's not the smell, but that Gaara's boy couldn't handle any more physical, and mental stress. Lord Rasa's getting frustrated with Gaara just like in the past._ " It was thus time to butt in. "Lord Rasa, please let me take Lord Gaara." The man looked Baki in the eye, and the man made it clear that he didn't trust Baki. " _Likely he doesn't feel my judgment sound, as he doesn't know what's going on. He's missing pieces of information._ "

Something thankfully made the man hand Gaara over, and he barked out his orders. Rasa of course did not wish to explain his logic. Baki followed after, and looked down at Gaara. " _At least I can expect you to explain your logic, Gaara._ "

Baki felt the young fifth Kazekage lean into him, something Gaara would never do even under normal circumstances as certain boundaries remained, not because Gaara didn't wish to cross them, but because he worried about crossing the wrong ones. Stepping into the room, Baki found the atmosphere much to his dislike to be rancid with hatred for the boy he carried in his arms. He felt the young Kazekage flinch in his arms, and knew Gaara could sense the animosity as well.

" _Best I don't leave the boy's side._ " Baki put Gaara down, and reluctantly took the medicine they'd concocted for Gaara. "Lord Gaara, can you look at me." He watched as two sea foam eyes drifted towards him, and he spoke softly to the teen. "This is supposed to help you, to stop your powers. You do remember that it's your powers that are causing your headaches, because they are always on. This is supposed to turn them off."

The man found himself repeating himself a couple of times as Gaara simply stared, and a sickening thought crossed his mind as he sensed Rasa glaring at his back. " _I doubt the Kazekage, or his men appreciate the fact I've crossed certain lines, but there really is no choice,_ " and when Gaara let him know his worry, " _yes, there is no choice but to cross lines that would two years ago not be considered acceptable._ "

Baki tasted the medicine for poison, and then put the drink to Gaara's lips. " _I don't 'even' want to think what is going through Lord Rasa's mind right now, particularly with the fact he showed a protective side just a bit ago, and the man doesn't know what to do with that protective side of his._ _Please, just drink all of it despite the fact it tastes nasty._ " The man narrowed his eyes. " _And also seems to have the same effect of alcohol..._ "

The man turned to look at Rasa, and could see the death look the man gave him. "Lord Rasa, exactly what was the original purpose of this concoction, and what is it made from?"

"There are plants which grow in these caverns, plenty of them. That, and the supplies that happened to be here, and the source of water we're lucky enough to have is how we've survived." Rasa came over, and sat down next to Baki without a second thought.

Baki turned his head to see how Gaara reacted to his father moving closer, and saw the boy completely tense up. His eyes widened though as the dark marks around Gaara's eyes began to fade, and disappear. " _This..._ "

"I'm glad it's working."

" _And here's the protective parent side of the forth Kazekage, however..._ " Baki took a deep breath. "Lord Rasa, you do realize that you just had me give a minor an alcoholic drink, correct?"

"Medicine is medicine."

" _I also believe Lady Chiyo said something similar to you when she inflicted you with paralytic poisons every time you got on her nerves when you were younger._ " The man reached a hand up to the bridge of his nose. " _I also don't think the forth Kazekage understands the problem with giving a minor alcohol, let alone..._ " The man looked down at Gaara. " _... depending on how long we're in here, we may 'have' to give Gaara more, and it's not as simple as..._ " Baki tried the one other option. "The plant this is made from, the plant by itself doesn't have the same effect?"

"No. We tested it." Rasa continued to look down at Gaara, while the boy trembled. "About his injuries..." The man reached his hand out towards the boy, and Baki quickly grabbed the man's hand. "Baki, don't test me. I've been patient enough with you as it is."

"Do you really want your son stripped in front of everyone here? He is a minor still." Baki felt the man twist his arm behind his back, and felt and hand placed on is throat with a kunai.

"And what say do you have in this manner." Rasa's eyes reminded Baki of the look Gaara had once, and knew he may have over done things. "As I told you, my patience with you has worn thin, and I could kill you for the actions you've taken. You do know that?"

"I'm full aware of your stubbornness, Lord Rasa. I'm also aware of how Lady Chiyo used to curb said stubborn streak. The question is whether you're aware of this stubbornness, and the trouble it's caused." Baki heard mutterings of treason from behind Lord Rasa, but most of all he noticed the look of confusion on the forth Kazekage's face. "You, you really don't remember? You don't remember why Lord Gaara is afraid of you either, do you?"

"I don't." Rasa's grip loosened, and he backed away. "I'm also bothered by the fact Gaara is with you, and not Yashamaru."

"Lord Rasa, Yashamaru's been dead for a long time now. That's something you should..." Realization clicked with Baki. "...remember. Lord Gaara's not the only one whose memories have been effected, are they."

"The fact my memory is effected Baki, does not mean I'm not as dangerous as I would be with those memories."

"I'm actually worried you're more dangerous, because I don't want to know what you'll do should you regain your memories, if that is even possible." Baki clenched his hands together. "It is though my duty to protect Lord Gaara, even if it is from you and your men." Rasa continued to glare at him. " _The situation is worse then I thought. I made a promise though to Lord Gaara, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep it with Rasa switching from protective parent, to Kazekage at a flip of a switch. Not to mention the fact he's not the third Kazekage's son for nothing. Say the wrong thing, and we're dead._ "

Rasa continued to glare at the man. "Everyone except myself, a medical-nin from my group, one other of my choice, and yourself will leave the room. You're also not to touch Gaara. Is that acceptable to you Baki?"

Baki let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, it is." The death look remained in Rasa's eyes. " _Not that I have much choice. I need to think of this in a tactical manner._ "


	9. Imobilization of Fear

**Suna no Mugetsu Re-ku**

 _ **Immobilization of Fear**_

Fear...

Gaara knew he feared that person.

His mind knew that as soon as he looked up into that person's eyes, and he also knew his body could no longer take the stress. It wasn't just the stress of fear pounding in his heart, but also the pounding in his head. Everything was out of his control, and yet one thing the young shinobi had always been sure of was that he liked being able to control things, and know what would happen.

He didn't though fear Baki.

Baki came to his rescue, taking him from that person. Hanging limp from the older man's arms helped somewhat, but something told Gaara instinctively that Baki's control of the situation was also lacking. They arrived in a place, and Baki set him down. That person was still there, and they wanted him to take something. Baki however drank some as well, to prove it wasn't poison, and the boy took the drink.

That person though came into his view, and a hand reached out to touch him.

It happened more then once, and it seemed as if Baki were forced to back down despite his promise. The man however reached over to touch him again.

Fear.. to avoid one must kill.

Gaara tried forcing the thought to the back of his head, and jerked his head away as he felt the person's hand's touch the vest. The man's fingers pulled the piece of clothing that provided protection.

Kill...

The young shinobi darted up from where he sat, trying to get away from the object of his fear. A yelp escaped his lips as he put weight onto his injured arm.

Kill!

"Gaara!" The person spoke, and reached out to touch him again.

KILL!

Instinctively Gaara's hand raised up in the motion he used for his sand coffin, but nothing happened. Panic rushed through his body, and his breathing became raged. The next thing he knew something made contact with his face, and he found himself crashed against the wall, his entire body trembling. He could however hear Baki speaking. "Lord Rasa! This is why he fears you!"

" _No, I don't want to kill. Not anymore._ "

Gaara's eyes snapped shut, and he tried to calm his breath down, remembering the technique Baki once told him long ago. He also felt his headache levitating, and tried to think of what he'd forgotten. His eyes snapped open upon as he felt someone removing his clothes, and not being at all careful of it. He felt his heart beat fast as he looked at the man. His mouth opened without realizing it, and the fear was evident in his voice. "Father..." The boy felt his throat tighten at that point. " _I just want him to stop. He's hurting me._ "

"It will be alright, Gaara."

The young shinobi felt his eyes widened at these words, and his head tilted to the side. He felt a jolt again in his arm as the man tried to force his arm out of his upper clothing. Even though Rasa's attitude seemed different, his arm hurt. "Stop! Please!"

"Lord Kazekage..."

Gaara's eyes darted up to see that one of Rasa's man was speaking. " _Not Baki?_ "

"Apologies Lord Rasa, but I think you're making the situation worse. His arm is injured." The young Shinobi watched as his father pulled away, and noted the look of displeasure on the man's face. The other man moved forward, and stopped short, a frown on his face. "Apologies again, but I need to cut this way."

The man pulled out a kunai, and cut away the sleeves of the coat, and shirt on the side where Gaara's arm was injured. The ripping sound made the young shinobi look away, and Gaara pushed his lips together. " _Temari's going to be mad I messed up my clothes. Particularly since the coat she got me is wrecked._ "

The man removed the coat then by removing Gaara's good arm, and then carefully slid the coat over Gaara's arm. The teen looked down at his right forearm, and noticed the major bruising . He then winced when the man pulled up the under shirts, as cold air touched his mid section, and made him shudder. The man gently removed both arms, before touching the injury at Gaara's side. "I'm going to need to stitch this up, but I don't have anything to kill the pain. Do you think you'll be able to hold still on your own."

" _Do I think so?_ " Gaara shook his head, and he felt his father move closer, while a frustrated sound left Baki's lips. He felt the man's arm press against his chest right under his throat, and he felt his back arch while Rasa placed the weight of his leg down onto Gaara's lap to prevent him from moving. The other person went to work, and the pain shot through his side as the man began to stitch up his side.

"Don't you dare cry Gaara. You are a shinobi, after all." Rasa's words stung.

" _What's new about that though. He's always telling you things which put you down._ "

Gaara's eyes snapped shut as the man moved onto bandaging up his ribs, and hoped the pain would be over soon. " _If I had my powers they wouldn't be able to cause such pain._ "

" _Well, they wouldn't be able to heal your injuries either, but then you wouldn't have these injuries either._ "

The man spoke again. "Lord Baki, I am going to need you to hold onto Lord Gaara's right arm?"

"May I ask why?"

"Before I put his arm into a brace, since I can't put it in a cast, I am going to need to reset the bone."

"Then his arm is broken like I was afraid of."

"Yes."

"Apologies, Lord Gaara." The young shinobi felt Baki grab his arm at first in a gentle, soft manner, but the grip firmed up despite the fact Baki's movements remained much gentler then those of Rasa's. He then felt the man grab onto his lower arm, and then felt a twisting motion. The pain surged up his spine, and his body tried resisting the force Rasa placed on his chest, and upper legs, and a scream escaped his lips. Hot tears came unbidden, rolling down his cheeks, and his chin.

"Gaara..." Rasa seemed annoyed at the fact he couldn't stop crying despite the earlier lecture, and this tone remained as he continued to speak. "Never mind. There is no reasoning with you at this point in time."

The young shinobi felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment, but his embarrassment grew as he found himself stripped of his clothing completely. Gaara's breath came out in a strained manner, as he attempted to not say anything in protest, lest Rasa give another negative remark. Baki however spoke to him. "Lord Gaara, they're taking your clothing to be cleaned, and you'll have it back after they're dried."

Rasa snapped at the other man. "Stop coddling him." A blanket hit Gaara in the face at that point, and the teen was sure it was his father who did this out of annoyance. "Get some rest."

Someone helped him lie down on the bedding, and Gaara closed is eyes. " _Not that I can sleep._ "

" _Come on. I no longer threaten to go berserk. I've given my word I won't take over._ "

" _I've still got insomnia._ "

" _What ever..._ "

Gaara's cheeks remained flared, and his anxiety didn't ease away as he knew that particular person was watching, and didn't know when Rasa would make some kind of remark. Somehow he managed to doze off, and when he awoke he opened his eyes to see his clothing sitting next to him, neatly folded. The young shinobi attempted to sit up on his own, but quickly found himself unable to lift himself up due to his injured arm.

His sea foam eyes glanced a bit farther, and noticed that Baki was sitting on his heels nearby, his eyes closed, but every indication that the man was remaining alert. The young shinobi reached out his good hand, and wincing as he rolled over onto his bad arm. He felt his dry clothes underneath him, and his pale fingers tugged at Baki's pant leg. The man's eyes darted open, and his hand drifted towards the place he kept his kunai, but seeing the young Kazekage made him stop.

"Lord Gaara?"

"Does father know? Did you tell him?"

Baki's eyes widened. "About what?"

"That the one who replaced him..." Gaara stopped short, before glancing away. Rasa was over speaking with a few of his men.

"No. None of your men have said anything, under my orders. That said, you remember?"

"Yes. It feels weird." The boy narrowed his eyes. "My head's kind of dizzy. I also think I'm going to need some help getting dressed."

"If I make the wrong move Lord Gaara, there is no telling how your father will react. His memories, well, he seems to also be having problems."

"Please. I don't want him touching me again. I just need help with the parts I can't do, including sitting up." Gaara glanced at the wall. "I'd rather do it on my own, but this is the first step I need help with." Baki let out a sigh, and reached over to lift Gaara up. The young shinobi felt a death glare sent their way, and he looked up to see Rasa wasn't at all pleased. "I'd definitely do the most I can on my own."

The boy reached first for his shirt, and gently pulled it over his broken arm, and over his head. He nodded his head over to Baki, and the man helped him to pull the shirt over his other arm. His hand reached up to touch the missing sleeve, before pulling his underwear and pants on as far as he could underneath the blanket, and he turned to look at Baki. "Could you lift me up a bit?"

Again, Baki complied, and Gaara felt his body relax once he could push the sheet away without any embarrassment about being naked in front of everyone. He wiggled his toes, wishing his shoes were somewhere, but he payed this no mind. The voice of his father drew his attention away. "Gaara?"

The teen looked up, and he let his mouth curl up slightly. "Lord Kazekage." His eyes darted away. "It is good to see you're well."

"You stabbed me in the arm awhile ago. I wouldn't exactly call that alright, Gaara."

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry, for stabbing you in the arm. I didn't mean to." Gaara still couldn't look the man in the eye. " _And that sounds like an utter lie to him, as I was never sorry for anything, and I meant to do a lot of things. What was I thinking I could accomplish by being the one to rescue him? I should have known that I'd never prove myself to him. Oh yeah, the monster, not wanting to get any of the people in Suna in trouble. And... he's still my father._ "


End file.
